Israel - Agriculture

Between 1948 and 1998, the cultivated area was expanded from 165,000 to
437,000 ha (from 408,000 to 1,075,000 acres). Principal crops and 1999
production totals (in tons) were wheat, 80,000; cotton, 53,000; peanuts,
24,000; sunflowers, 20,000; and pulses, 9,000.

Owing to the uniquely favorable soil and climatic conditions,
Israel's citrus fruit has qualities of flavor and appearance
commanding high prices on the world market. Total citrus production in
1999 was 869,000 tons, with grapefruit accounting for 39%. Exports of
citrus in 2001 generated $123 million. Other fruits, and their 1999
production amounts (in thousands of tons) included: apples, 103;
bananas, 109; avocados, 66; table grapes, 89; peaches, 47; olives, 45;
plums, 20; pears, 24; and mangoes, 22.

The main forms of agricultural settlement are the kibbutz,
moshav, moshav shitufi
, and
moshava
(pl.
moshavot
). In the kibbutz all property is owned jointly by the settlement on
land leased from the Jewish National Fund, and work assignments,
services, and social activities are determined by elected officers.
Although predominantly agricultural, many kibbutzim have taken on a
variety of industries, including food processing and the production of
building materials. Devoted entirely to agriculture, the
moshavim
(workers' smallholder cooperatives) market produce and own heavy
equipment, but their land is divided into separate units and worked by
the members individually. This form of settlement has had special appeal
to new immigrants. The
moshavim shitufiyim
are 47 collective villages that are similar in economic organization to
the kibbutzim but whose living arrangements are more like those of the
moshav. The moshavot are rural colonies, based on private enterprise.
They were the principal form of 19th century settlement, and many have
grown into urban communities.

New immigrants settling on the land are given wide-ranging assistance.
The Jewish Agency, the executive arm of the World Zionist Organization,
absorbs many of the initial costs; agricultural credits are extended on
a preferential basis, and equipment, seeds, livestock, and work animals
are supplied at low cost.

Israeli agriculture emphasizes maximum utilization of irrigation and the
use of modern techniques to increase yields. A national irrigation
system distributed water to 199,000 ha (491,700 acres) in 1998, down
from 219,000 ha (541,100 acres) in 1986 but still far exceeding the
30,000 ha (74,000 acres) served in 1948. Water is transported via
pipeline from the Sea of Galilee to the northern Negev. More than 90% of
Israel's subterranean water supply is being exploited.
Agriculture accounts for over 60% of Israel's water consumption.